Inspections prompt officials to stop work at 24 state nail salons

PHOTO | File

Customers planning to get a relaxing manicure or pedicure this weekend need to double-check first if their favorite salon is open.

The state Labor Department on Friday announced it issued 24 stop-work orders this week after visiting 39 nail salons in eight towns. Eight of the salons are in the New Haven area, including in Hamden and Milford.

The agency conducted inspections to check if the salons were in compliance with state wage laws.

Officials with the agency's Division of Wage and Workplace Standards allegedly found various violations, such as no workers compensation coverage, cash payments without maintaining required payroll records, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

State Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said the agency is working with the businesses to get them into compliance with state laws, with the goal to get many re-opened by this weekend.

Once a stop-work order is issued, a business can't reopen until it fixes all problems. Under state law, employers can be fined up to $300 per worker per day for each day it operates in violation.

"Although we recognize the importance of keeping businesses open and employees on the job, our first responsibility is to ensure that workers are being paid correctly for the jobs that they do, and proper protections are in place should they get injured while on the job," Westby said, in a news release.

"In promoting workplace compliance, we help create a level playing field so employers doing the right thing can remain competitive," he added.

Wage and Workplace Standards Director Tom Wydra thanked local police and the state Department of Revenue Services for their assistance.

"When employers play by the rules, appropriate taxes are paid to our state, unemployment insurance and worker's compensation coverage is in place to protect workers, and taxpayers are not burdened by costs incurred when a business does not follow the law," Wydra said.